by Ava Walsh
“She’s an ex. Her name is Kim. I dated her before Kelsey. We ended amicably but she’s probably just not happy seeing me with someone else is all. It’s not important. You’re everything to me.” Cole kissed her before turning to walk into the barn. The guests were sitting down at the tables. The music started to play and staff from the restaurant started stirring the various tins of hot food that were set up. Adam had chosen a local barbecue restaurant to cater while Jane had a bakery create all sorts of cute pastries that were set up on the side.
The new couple was announced and walked in. Everyone was cheering and whistling and Jane spun around with a big grin on her face. All of the nerves were gone now, and she was ready to party as she greeted people on the way to the table. Lauren sat with Cole and looked over the faces slowly since there were many people she didn’t know.
Lauren saw Kim chatting with another girl. Kim looked more glamorous than Lauren was, with light blonde hair that hung over her shoulders in a thick curtain and shimmering honey colored eyes that Lauren would probably never forget.
Lauren looked away as Kim’s head swiveled her way and pretended to focus on sipping the water placed in front of her. Cole was clapping for his friends, and she smiled at him. He kissed her cheek lightly.
Once all of the formalities were out of the way, everyone dug into the food and the music got louder. Several people came to their table to greet Cole. They shook Lauren’s hand or even hugged her and she felt overwhelmed by the smiles and warm greetings. Cole was obviously well-liked, and she smiled when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
They just finished up eating when Lauren saw Kim approaching the table. “Cole,” she said with a strange look in her eyes. “How have you been?”
“I’m great, Kim. How about you?” Cole asked as Lauren fidgeted beside him. He glanced over at her and smiled. “This is Lauren, Kim. She’s new to town and has been Jane’s best friend for years.”
The girls shook hands lightly. Lauren forced a smile on her face.
“So Jane and Adam did it, huh? I always thought we’d be next,” Kim said. Lauren rose in her seat while Cole squeezed her hand.
“We were never going to be next, Kim, and you know that. I’m happy now, and I wish the same for you.” He smiled at Lauren. Kelsey narrowed her eyes and looked between them.
“Yeah…thanks.” Kim turned around and left. Lauren watched her perfect curves walk away from them. Cole hadn’t been unkind with his words, but very direct. Lauren looked at him.
“Wow.”
“What?” Cole asked as he looked down at Lauren. “She had no chance, baby. Come, let’s forget about her and dance.”
They got up and walked over to the dance floor. Cole was a great dancer, and she found it fairly easy to follow along with his casual teaching. A lot of the guests joined them, and Lauren smiled at Jane and Adam. Cole pressed a long kiss to her lips before the up-tempo song changed into a slower one, giving them another chance to kiss as the sound of silverware against glasses filled the air.
“They look great,” Cole told Lauren as he pulled her close and stared into her eyes. “Is it nice to finally relax and enjoy? You’ve been working so hard to help her with this.”
“Well, she helped me a lot too, with fixing up the house. I loved helping her, but I just missed you.” Lauren stood higher on her toes to kiss him. He held her tightly and stroked her hair. They lost themselves for a moment before Lauren pulled away for a breath and looked around. “Oh, God. They’re looking at us.”
“So what? Let them,” Cole said and he kissed her again, making Lauren laugh out loud, all of her embarrassment leaving her.
They made the toasts, with Cole being far more confident than Lauren, shuffling her feet and getting sappy towards Jane. They all hugged and cried. Adam embraced Lauren tightly and she went to sit down. They stopped to take pictures several times throughout the evening for the local photographer, making Lauren get sick of smiling so much. But it was hard not to, especially when it was just her and Cole posing for the camera.
They cut the cake and Adam sweetly fed Jane a piece. Then he kissed her while she wrapped her arms around his neck. She threw the smaller bouquet a while later, and Lauren caught it with wide eyes. Some of the women clapped and others looked like their world was ending.
Chapter Eight
The night ended past midnight. The guests slowly headed home and the staff started to clean up. They’d put the food away hours ago and just picked up the tables while guests grabbed some last minute favors. Lauren kept her flowers and, at Jane’s insistence, one of the table displays. “Should we help them clean up?” Lauren asked Cole as he twirled his keys in his hand.
“They paid good money to have that taken care of,” Cole told her and he smiled. “Let’s go. We’re home alone tonight, and I don’t want to wait another moment for you.”
They hugged Jane and Adam one last time and then left. Lauren carried the flowers to the truck, and Cole opened the door for her before taking them from her. She slid inside, and he handed them back to her before walking around to the other side and starting the car.
“Did you have fun?” Cole asked. She smiled at him and buckled her seat belt.
“It was magical,” Lauren replied while watching him in the light of the parking lot. Cole had loosened his tie and slung his jacket over the seat but still looked incredible. “I feel sorry for complaining about the preparations all the times that I did.”
“It’s part of wedding planning, my love,” Cole told her and smiled at her.
They drove through the empty town. Lauren imagined everyone home and in bed with a smile on their face. Cole parked in the driveway to his house, and they carried the few things inside before Cole closed and locked the door. He raised his hands in the air and looked around. “Listen to this. It’s quiet, and we’re alone. We have nothing to work on now apart from each other.”
“Yeah, it’s a beautiful thing.” Lauren smiled and looked around. The flowers were in enough water to last them until the next morning, and she stepped forward. Her heart was racing, her need for Cole making her shake. “What are we going to do with ourselves?”
Cole stepped towards her and cupped her face before he kissed her hard. This wasn’t the cute romantic Cole from the wedding, but the man that missed his girlfriend and was going to claim her. Lauren moaned as she parted her lips for him, making him haul her against his body, their tongues tangling together. “I want you so bad,” Cole murmured against her lips. She wrapped her arms around his waist. “I love you, Lauren. I love you more than anything.”
Cole unzipped the dress slowly with his arm around her, sliding the pretty vintage gown down Lauren’s body right there in the living room. She wrapped her legs around him and kissed him, allowing Cole to carry her to the bedroom while sliding her hands in his hair. Cole nipped at her lower lip before he dropped her down and unbuttoned his shirt. “You looked so beautiful today. Seeing you walk down that aisle took my breath away…I can’t imagine how Adam felt.”
“I almost forgot where I was when I saw you,” Lauren confessed. She watched him drop his pants and kick them off. “Is that rented?”
“Yes, and I’ll get it back just fine,” Cole growled as he crawled onto the mattress and over her body. She was covered only with a white strapless bra and a matching pair of tiny boy shorts and he looked her over slowly. “You’re stunning.”
They were close, and Lauren knew that. There was something different tonight between them, though. He stared at her with a new intensity in his eyes before leaning down to kiss her hungrily. “You’re the most handsome man that I’ve ever seen, Cole,” Lauren whispered as he pulled away slightly to move his hands down her body. Cole slid her underwear down, leaving her bare for him. Lauren shivered. “I love you.”
He kissed her and slipped his hands over the bra to slide it down and cup her breasts. Every part of her body was on fire and Lauren kissed him back, their bodies pressed together. “I don’
t know what to do to you first,” Cole said as he moved down her neck to kiss her skin gently. “I want to taste every inch of you, but I’m so ready to be inside of you.” Cole moved his mouth back to her lips as he slid between her thighs and pressed against her slick entrance. “Just for a minute before I taste you.” Cole pushed inside of her as they both moaned and rocked together. He filled her, and Lauren cried out as she moved her hips hard against him. “So tight, Lauren. So tight.” Cole moved a few more times inside of her before pulling out, spreading her legs with his hands and burying his face in her wetness.
Lauren came against his tongue and she moaned his name. Cole kept at her, licking and sucking as the release went on, hard and fast. He pulled away with a deep intake of breath and looked up at her from where he rested his chin against the lowest part of her body.
“I want to taste you,” Lauren whispered as his eyes widened for a moment. “I want all of you, Cole. I want you forever.”
Cole moved to his back and watched Lauren as she moved over him, taking him into her mouth. He was hard and long and Lauren moved all the way over him, taking him deeper. Cole slipped his hands into her hair and held her. He watched every movement that she made. “I love you,” Cole whispered. She moved faster. He didn’t come inside of her mouth, pulling her away before she straddled him. “Yes, Lauren. Baby, yes,” he breathed. Lauren lowered herself onto him, taking all of him inside of her as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back.
They rocked together hard with their needs taking control over them. Lauren knew that she was still sensitive from before and that she was close. She moved harder and felt him swell inside of her. They came with loud cries and jerky movements. Lauren gave into her body, feeling his warmth inside of her, and came right along with him.
She dropped beside him, breathing heavily. Her stomach hit the mattress. “Did it get better in the last few weeks?” Lauren wondered aloud. Cole chuckled.
“It’s always good, baby,” he replied and slid a hand over her back. “I just think that we fell a little harder for each other tonight.”
“Because of the wedding?” Lauren asked. He stared at her body slumped over.
“Not just that. I realized tonight that I want to be the one waiting for you to walk down the aisle. I know that you were meant for me.” Lauren lifted her head and stared at him. He smiled. “I’m not asking, not yet. Just know that you’re it for me.”
“Did you feel this way about Kelsey?” Lauren asked.
“I thought so. She was great, and we were comfortable. I thought that we’d end up married and just settling down but life wasn’t meant to work out that way.” Cole shook his head. “I hated losing her that way, I hated what it did to her family. I missed her then, and I do now, but it’s nothing compared to what I felt the night that I first saw you. It was like being shocked or something.” Cole smiled. “I’ve never had that before. I thought it was just in the movies.”
“So did I,” Lauren replied with a shy smile. “I didn’t know that you felt that way that night.”
“I didn’t want to be that guy. You’d just landed, and I know that everything was new to you out here. I thought that you looked a little mad to see me there at the house,” Cole teased her. Lauren blushed.
“I thought that Jane had set it up for you to be there. I knew about you, but I was surprised to see you.” Lauren met his eyes. “I thought you were so handsome, but I didn’t know what to say or do.”
They showered after talking for a while. They cleaned Lauren up and messed around in the shower. Then he dried her off and led her right back to bed.
They made love a few times that night to make up for the time that they’d lost. Sometimes they were sweet and slow, other times passionate and a little rough. Lauren would doze in between in his arms, and they slept in late the following morning. They could, because Cole and Adam got this weekend off.
Chapter Nine
Lauren got up first and pulled on a robe before she walked into the kitchen. She made coffee and looked outside as she always did, amazed by the view. Every morning, Lauren thanked God for bringing her here, even if it was under unfortunate circumstances. She prayed for her father in Heaven. Lauren wanted to believe that she was meant to be happy even when there had been challenges in the past.
Lauren glanced at the coffee that was brewing and looked in the fridge for something to make for breakfast. There were eggs, bacon and bread for toast and she got started, smiling. It wasn’t anything fancy, but Cole appreciated everything that she did for him and showed it every chance that he got.
She thought about the night before and stopped flipping the bacon for a second. Cole wanted to marry her down the line, and she didn’t know if she should be scared or not. She was so young, and he was her first love, but she felt like he was the one. It could work with them, so she pushed aside her worries and smiled.
“Mornin’, baby.” She glanced up to see Cole smiling at her with a pair of workout shorts slung low on his hips. “Whatcha got going on over there?”
“I thought that I’d make you breakfast,” Lauren responded as her phone rang on the counter. Cole walked over to unplug it from the charger and glanced at it with a smile.
“Jane?” she asked.
He nodded and she grabbed it with a grin. It wasn’t a long conversation, but Jane thanked her for everything that she did for her to make her wedding great. She told Lauren that they were catching their flight and that she’d see Lauren in a week and a half.
Lauren sniffled as she hung up and Cole looked up from the stove. “I can’t believe that she’s married now,” Lauren said.
They finished the food together and sat at the small bistro table by the window, looking over the land as they ate. Cole suggested going into town for the day and just walking around a bit, and she agreed with a yawn.
They left a couple of hours later, dressed in jeans and t-shirts. Cole led her to the truck and opened her door before he started the engine and headed to the main road.
They wandered around the stores and laughed together as Cole would look at this and Lauren would look at something else. He led her into a jewelry store. She stared at him and panicked a little, but laughed when he told her that he just wanted an idea of what she liked. She had fun trying on rings and they joked over the serious feelings in the air.
They moved down the street, to a couple of stores that stood side by side in a row. Lauren couldn’t stop thinking about the ring as she wandered into a pet store. She noticed a little gray kitten that was crying and trying to climb out of his enclosure.
“Oh, look at him, Cole!” Lauren exclaimed. She cradled the furry baby in her hands and lifted him to her face. “Hi, tiny guy,” Lauren cooed. Cole watched her with a smile on his face. The kitten made her miss her cat from Georgia. It had died just before her father. “He reminds me of my Stormy back…back in Georgia.”
“How about we take him home? You’re home during the day and might need a writing buddy,” Cole said. She stared at him.
“Really?” she asked and he nodded. “Oh, thank you. Thank you!”
They paid the adoption fee for the kitten and Cole bought some of the things that they’d need for him. When they were done, Lauren carried the kitten to the car carefully. “There’s a carrier for that, Lauren,” Cole teased her as she kissed the little gray nose.
“My baby needs to be held. He’s scared,” she told him and held it even closer to her body.
“I think I’m a little jealous of that cat,” Cole murmured. He unlocked the truck and put the stuff inside. He then ushered Lauren and the cat inside and drove them home, all the while taking glances at the two. They pulled into the driveway and got out, setting the cat down so they could set up the litter box and some of the toys.
Lauren sat on the floor and stared at the kitten. She was trying to come up with a name. “Not Stormy…how about Blue?”
“He’s gray, baby.” Cole looked down at them and smiled.
“Yeah, he is, but his eyes are so blue. Baby blue,” Lauren decided. She smiled up at Cole. “Thank you, Cole. I love you.”
“I love you,” he replied and he shook his head.
They stayed in to play with the kitten until they got hungry. Lauren laughed as she scrounged together chicken, potatoes and some frozen vegetables. There wasn’t much left in the fridge and she shook her head. “I think that I forgot to shop with all of the wedding stuff going on.”
“We’ll take care of that. There’s enough left for tonight,” Cole assured her and he stepped over to help her. He grilled the chicken for them outside, and she cooked the other food inside, giving the kitten a little bowl of food as they ate.
They went over to Jane and Adam’s cottage to make sure that everything was fine over there and cleaned up a bit before going back to the truck.
They went to bed early and made love while Baby Blue slept on the couch. They were just finishing up when he decided to join them. Lauren giggled and snuggled up against Cole. The cat curled up above her head. “Is this what it is like to be a parent?” Lauren asked softly as she waited for his answer.
“Maybe something like having a cat.” Cole pulled her closer and kissed her. “How many kids do you want?”
“I don’t know. I never thought about it, but I think more than one. I was an only child, and there were times that I wanted a sibling. But I still feel so young,” Lauren replied as she looked at him. “How about you?”
“At least two,” Cole replied. Lauren nodded. She understood why he’d want that. He’d introduced her to his parents and his brother Thomas a couple of weeks after meeting her, and she loved them. “I like the idea of them having someone to play with.”
“Didn’t you fight with Luke?” Lauren asked. He laughed and the kitten shifted in his sleep.
“At least half the time. It drove Mama crazy, but we bonded through those times. It works out in the end,” Cole said and he closed his eyes.